I stared at my Father in shock. I was just about to leave for the Port, when my Father called for me. That was rare. He never called for me, unless he found out I did something wrong. Which he rarely does. When I entered, I saw the familiar figure of Emperor Hakutoku, Hakuyuu, and Hakuren. I gave them a bow in respect, then turned to my Father, and the dolls next to him. My eyes hardened and I gave a bow.
"Emperor." I acknowledged. He didn't even look at me,"You're getting married to one of the Princes from Kou, no objections." That was all he said. So that brings me to my current state. I could only stare at him in shock, and maybe slight hurt. I knew he didn't like me, but did he really just give me away like a broken toy? I felt my anger rise up, and the Rukh around me began to flutter frantically. I took a deep breath, and got my breathing under control along with my emotions. I looked at him with no emotion in my eyes.
"Did you even fight for me?" I whispered. He looked at me, his empty green eyes stared into my purple orbs.
"What?"
"Nothing." I turned around and started to head back. As I exited the throne room, I turned back to Kou royalty. I gave a bow,"It will be a pleasure to be serving next to you." My voice was hard and stiff. I didn't even look them in the eyes as I stalked out of the room. Rokujo was near the door, and he looked heart broken. I looked at him, then gently ruffled his hair.
"C'mon, it is now important that I teach you how to manage trade."
I was saddling up my horse, when I heard footsteps behind me. When I looked, it was the last people I wanted to see.
"Hello, Hakuyuu-sama, Hakuren-sama." I greeted them with a stiff bow. Takashi bowed as well, and Rokujo simply looked at them.
"Hello." Hakuren looked guilty, and Hakuyuu had a tinge of guilt in his eyes. Hakuren had on a small smile,"Do you mind if we tag along?" I shook my head.
"No, we'll get you saddled up." I motioned for the stable boy to bring out a few more horses. The boy gave a nod and rushed inside. Konko and Chokyu, appeared and tried to climb up on mine and Rokujo's horse. We simply watched them, before Rokujo asked,"WHat are you doing?" Konko turned to him with a pout,"We want to go to. And you can't say anything." She gave a little 'hmmph' before struggling some more to sit properly.
"We're not going to have fun. Onee-san is showing me how to do some business things." Rokujo sighed, as he situated himself behind Konko. Chokyu laughed when I hopped on, holding onto my stallion's mane. I checked to see if Hakuyuu and Hakuren were situated. Hakuyuu gave a smile, and Hakuren gave a thumbs up. I nodded, before lightly squeezing the side of my stallion's side to make it start moving. The sound of hooves and childish laughters was the only things filling the air.
When we reached the port, I could easily see the surprise in both of the princes' faces. Our port was known as the one of the best in the world. Everyone had a job to do, no matter the age, and everyone worked together. I hopped off my horse, and guided it to a very familiar building.
"You guys can look around if you want. Takashi will be your guide." I looked back to Hakuyuu and Hakuren. They dismounted,"I think we'll simply follow you." Hakuyuu gave a smile, and I nodded in response. Kanko and Chokyu were giggling, and running around. Rokujo looked at the beaten wooden door, then swallowed. I put a hand on his shoulder for reassurance,"He's a nice man. He'll help you out." I said. Rokujo nodded, then opened the door.
"Hello, who's-" An old man with ridiculously large glasses came out of a room. He froze when he saw me. He then started sputtering,"P-p-p-princess! W-w-w-why didn't y-you say anything?! I-I-I would have c-c-c-cleaned up!" The man was now running around trying to sort things up, and arrange other things.
"Gasai-san, don't worry about it." I opened the blinds, letting in some natural light. The little room was cluttered. Scrolls were everywhere, and small boxes were stacked against the walls. Gasai sighed, recollecting himself,"You should give me a heads up Mikazuki-sama. I always get close to a heart attack whenever I see you come in unexpectedly." I gave a smile, a nudged Rokujo forward. I could hear Takashi chuckling at the poor man fright.
"Gasai-san, this is Rokujo, my brother. He'll be taking over from now on." Rokujo gave a stiff bow, and Gasai returned a more relaxed one.
"Nice to meet you Rokujo-sama."
"Likewise." Rokujo looked around the room with the princes, and my little sisters. I turned to Gasai,"I'm going to rely on you to teach him."
"Princess, you can't teach intuition."
"No, but you can at least try and polish it." I countered. Gasai sighed, then looked me dead in the eyes.
"Princess, something has happened. You seem...troubled." Leave it to Gasai to notice. I nodded,"I'm… getting married." Gasai looked shocked.
"What?" I sighed, and whispered,"I'm. Getting. Married." Gasai blinked a few times, before looking at the two princes and back to me. I nodded, and Gasai rubbed his eye beneath his glasses. He leaned on the table, and his shoulders sagged. He nodded in silent understanding. I gave a sigh in relief and called Rokujo over. I then left Gasai and Rokujo alone, and went to the back room. I could feel the rest follow me as I went into a larger room. Unlike the first, this room was brightly lit. However, it had hoards of trade in it. It ranged from jewelry,weapons, and clothing to scrolls, books, pens, and in some cases, paper.
"What is this room?" Hakuren asked as he looked at some of the scrolls.
"It can be considered the junk room." Takashi replied in my stead, as I looked at all of the merchandise.
"Junk?" I saw Takashi nod.
"All of these things are either broken, or don't meet the standards of expectations for the inner city."
"But, merchandise is merchandise." Hakuren voiced. I watched as Kanko and Chokyu looked at the jewelry and books.
"Yes, however if all the merchandise were to go to the inner city, and throughout the nation, what about the people here? These people would have nothing, despite doing most of the work." Takashi replied.
"We do this to make sure that everyone get's a chance to have what a person throughout the nation will receive." I voiced up. I turned to look at the two princes, who had their eyes wide open as they looked at me.
"The whole reason for the criteria was to be sure that some of the stuff went to those working and living near the ports. There will always be heap load of bad merchandise, but many will take what they can." I watched as Hakuyuu's eyes widened in understanding.
"This is why we technically don't have a 'slums.' If anything, out here would be considered the 'slums' for us." Takashi motioned out the window to all the buildings.
"Even if it is considered the 'slums,' many of the residents like it here more than the inner city." I watched as two little boys were playing and zig zagging through the legs of the workers.
"What about food?"
"Same thing. If it's spoiled or moldy, we simply throw it away. If it's bruised or something, then we simply give it out here." Takashi gestured to the fruit and vegetables.
"Onee-sama, can I have this?" Kanko held up a gold bronze bracelet that had very intricate designs.
"Of course you can." Gasai said from the doorway. Kanko's eyes got big.
"Do you have money?" I asked, and Kanko's eyes dulled and she shook her head. Before Gasai could say anything, I sighed,"Then, do you have anything of equal value?" She and Chokyu gave me a confused look.
"Princess, it's okay really." Gasai commented. I looked at him,"You can't spoil them." I then turned back to my little siblings.
"Equal value is when you trade something of yours, for another item that has the same price value. So, do you have something of equal value?" I restated. Kanko thought, and nodded. A huge grin took over her face as she walked over to Gasai. She then took off one of her gold bracelets, and handed it to Gasai.
"That's too much, Young Princess Kanko!" He tried to return it, but Kanko simply shook her head.
"I'd very much rather have this than that." She then placed the bronze bracelet on her left wrist, and showed it off.
"Look, look! Isn't it pretty?!" I smiled and nodded. Kanko's face brightened up, and she ran to Rokujo who was learning how to specifically tally, and calculate the stocks. Chokyu then took a scroll, and handed Gasai a silver ring. Not even waiting, she ran over to Rokujo as well to show what she got.
"This is also too much!" Gasai shouted. Takashi laughed, and the two princes smiled and looked at me.
"Mikazuki-sama! You didn't have to do that." Gasai gasped. I went back to looking at all the things, ignoring him.
"Mikazuki-sama." Gasai whined. I sighed, and looked at Gasai.
"Prices will stay the same, however give the scrolls out for free."
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted, including the two princes who had shock written all over their faces. Takashi had his eyes wide, and Gasai looked as if he had a stroke.
"They're water damaged pretty badly. I'd be surprised if someone could make out half the words in some of these scrolls." I opened one up to see how bad it was, and sure enough, some of the words were completely illegible. I put it back,"There's no point on trying to sell them. Just give them out. First come first served." Was all I said before walking out.
"Geez Mikazuki-sama." I chuckled as I heard the exasperated voice of Gasai. I headed out of the building, and to a familiar person.
"Iwao-san." Said man turned around and smiled. Iwao was a big man, and I mean big. He was taller than average, and broader. The extra meat was pure muscle, and it was muscle that was hard to hide. He had a squared, intimidating looking face, and eyes always looked closed. He was tanned from working out in the sun, and his hair a dark brown that was cropped short. He had a large scar on his shoulder, and small scar around his right eye. Over all, he looked like someone you wouldn't pick a fight with, and anyone who did, quickly realized why you don't.
"Mikazuki-sama!" He gave a huge smile, and patted me on the back. He calloused hands brushed against my skin, sending a rough feeling down my back.
"How have you been?"
"Quite well, you?" He gave a huge smile,"My wife just had our baby." My eyes widened.
"Really?" Iwao nodded.
"Ah, he's beautiful. His name is Hiroyuki." Iwao's smile softened, probably thinking of his son.
"You can meet him. Hina is bringing him today, and it's be an honor to at least have you hold him." Iwao smirked. He knew I loved children, and was now using it against me to stay.
"Isn't it a bit unsafe to bring him here?" A new voice came in. It was Hakuyuu and Hakuren. They both had a genuine look of curiosity look in their eyes. Iwao laughed,"At first. But, the best thing to allow your child to do is get exposed. How else will they get healthier?" Iwao smiled, then frowned.
"My apologies, but who are you?"
"I'm Ren Hakuyuu."
"Ren Hakuren."
"And we're the princes of the Kou empire." Hakuyuu finished. It got quiet in their small group. Iwao had on a blank expression, much to the prince's discomfort. Then a smile broke out,"My apologies, if I would've known I would've greeted you better. You can call me Iwao, Hakuyuu-sama, Hakuren-sama." Iwao gave a bow.
"It's fine." Hakuren assured. I then remembered why I was here. I turned to Iwao, who was standing tall again. What I would do to at least reach his shoulders.
"Iwao-san, there were a lot more damaged goods this time? Why is that?" Iwao's face turned sour. I raised an eyebrow.
"Some of the ships were attacked by pirates. Not to mention, there was a bad storm that screwed with Reim's ships."
"Reim?" Hakuyuu asked.
"Yes, we are trading partners with Reim." I cut them off, then sighed. 'Pirates, huh.' I thought as I looked at some of the ships. I rubbed my eyes, and sighed again.
"Iwao!" A sudden voice interrupted my thoughts. We turned and saw a woman with short blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes. She had a smaller frame, and in her arms was a baby.
"Hina!" Iwao gave a huge smile, and he motioned for her to come over. When she saw me, she smiled even bigger and walked over.
"Mikazuki-sama, it's nice to see you." She gave a small bow to me, and then to the Kou princes. Iwao gave her a gentle kiss, and it always amazed me at how gentle this giant man can be. The baby made a noise, directing all the attention to himself. Hina looked at me then to the baby.
"Do you want to hold him?" Before I could answer, Takashi cut me off.
"Of course she does." He smiled, and Rokujo smirked. He was holding a few scrolls, and had Chokyu hanging off one of his shoulders. Kanko ran up to me, and tried to take a peek at the baby. Hina giggled, and she passed the baby onto me. I cradled the baby, and I could feel a smile stretch across my face. Hiroyuki had the blue eyes of his mother, and the dark hair of his father. He had the face of his mother, and was pale like her. Nevertheless, he was cute.
"He's cute." I mumbled. I passed Hiroyuki back to his mother. She had on a bright smile, and nodded.
"Well, it's time for us to leave." I said. I gave a slight bow to the couple, then headed back to my horse. The other's followed, and we made our way back to the palace.
I sat in my study, looking over the stocks and comparing them to the last times. My nodashi glowed next to me as I grew a headache. A growl sounded behind me, and soft fur enveloped me. I looked, and gold eyes mer my purple ones. It was Shin, a dungeon creature. He looked like a Maurenian Sabertooth Tigers, just simply larger, and non venomous fangs. His ears were larger too, and on his left ear had a small gold hoop earring that was pierced near the base, and had a small gold chain leading to the tip where it was pierced again.
I ran my hand through his soft fur, and he purred. I could feel the vibrations rumble through my palm.
"My King, you seem more stressed."
"Indeed." I answered my djinn, Balraj. I could hear him chuckle, and a comforting feeling spread throughout my body. I relaxed, and leaned more into Shin. Balraj's voice turned serious,"Is it about your Father, My King?" I stayed silent.
"My King, you mustn't worry about it. Those princes seem nice." It went silent for a second,"If you want, you could run away My King." I gave a smile at that.
"That seems nice. I could be free, and see the world. However, if I do that then my people will suffer the consequences. Nice try though, Balraj." I could hear said djinn sigh.
"I'm terrified for Rokujo." I confessed. I could feel my heart clench at the thought of what could happen to my little brother when I'm gone.
"Then there's Konoe." My heart nearly burst at the thought of something awful happening to him. The girls will be safe, but not the boys. The boys will never be safe.
"My King, you have a week left. I'm positive you can do something." Balraj said. I nodded, before turning to the open window. The moon was full and bright, lighting it's beautiful white glow.
'Only a week.'